interesting alternative to a gauntlet track.

[David Benton]

This is a video of a mans garden railway. It has 2 tracks running side by side , sharing the centre rail.
https://youtu.be/nvMgSqe0XW4?t=29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I'm just wondering if tis arrangement exists on the prototype anywhere in the world. I seem to recall it on a tramline somewhere.

[george matthews]

Some cliff railways have various track layouts. But it strikes me that a shared centre rail would wear twice as much as the outer rails so would be unwise as it would need to be replaced more often than the others.

[deathtopumpkins]

I seem to recall having seen at least one funicular-type railway with this setup...

[philipmartin]

I hardly ever see gauntlet tracks but we do have a bit of one on the Lehigh Line to give freight trains a couple of extra feet of clearance from the platform at Roselle Park station. Here's a video of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udxQXhKn7B4&sns=emce" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Long Island Railroad had a horrific crash on the gauntlet track at Richmond Hill in 1950, killing 78 People
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kew_Gardens_train_crash" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MACTRAXX]

PM:

The LIRR Richmond Hill/Kew Gardens wreck in 1950 was from a rear end collision of two trains following each other
eastbound on the same track.

The wreck at Rockville Centre was the one that was a head-on on a temporary gauntlet track during a grade crossing
elinination project on February 17,1950. In both cases cars "telescoped" each other with multiple fatalities and injuries.

1950 was "a year that will live in infamy" in the history of the LIRR with a third major wreck at Huntington Station
during that year...

MACTRAXX

[ExCon90]

I seem to recall having seen at least one funicular-type railway with this setup...

Angels Flight in Los Angeles has that.
I was thinking i remembered the Wellington , NZ cable car having one too. But then I thought how would the up and the down car pass?

[philipmartin]

PM:

The LIRR Richmond Hill/Kew Gardens wreck in 1950 was from a rear end collision of two trains following each other
eastbound on the same track.

Thank you for the information MMACTRAXX.

[johnthefireman]

I've seen photos of it in use on narrow bridges, but can't recall where.

[David Benton]

I've seen photos of it in use on narrow bridges, but can't recall where.

Are you thinking of the Tubular bridge near Penzance ? I think that was a true gauntlet arrangement, but it possibly is this arrangement.

[deathtopumpkins]

I've seen photos of it in use on narrow bridges, but can't recall where.

Are you thinking of the Tubular bridge near Penzance ? I think that was a true gauntlet arrangement, but it possibly is this arrangement.

Assuming you're referring to the Royal Albert Bridge, neither - it's just traditional single track.

[David Benton]

Possibly it has been converted to single track . There was an article on iti in one of the british railway magazine some years ago . It may be another bridge down there. One of them had a gauntlet type arrangement up until maybe 5 years ago.

[philipmartin]

I notice that the Royal Albert Bridge has Brunel's name on it, placed there as a memorial after his death. Being a Brunel fan, that's fine with me.

[ExCon90]

This is a video of a mans garden railway. It has 2 tracks running side by side , sharing the centre rail.
https://youtu.be/nvMgSqe0XW4?t=29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I'm just wondering if tis arrangement exists on the prototype anywhere in the world. I seem to recall it on a tramline somewhere.

I just remembered that the cable-car network in San Francisco has 3 examples. The northbound Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines use the same trackage from the Market St. terminus to a point on Powell St. just south of Jackson, where the lines divide. Since the northbound direction is downhill at that point, the diversion must take place there even though both lines continue north on Powell and west on Jackson, splitting at Mason St., where Powell-Mason turns right. Since both lines are going uphill at this point, cars must grip the cable all the way from Powell St. without letting go. From the points on Powell St., where the trackage splits, the arrangement, facing north and reading from left to right, is as follows:
. left running rail of Hyde St. line
. slot over Hyde St. cable
. common running rail
. slot over Mason St. cable
. right running rail of Mason St. line
The whole works makes a 90-deg. left turn onto Jackson St.
At Mason St. the common rail splits, with one portion turning right to form the left running rail of the Mason St. line, and the other continuing straight on to form the right running rail of the Hyde St. line.
The other two instances are on Washington St. approaching Powell St., where out-of service cars turn north, downhill, on Powell, and cars in service or entering service turn south, uphill, on Powell; and on Hyde St. between just north of Jackson St. to Washington St., for California St. cars (from the cable car barn at Washington and Mason Sts.) going into service.

[deathtopumpkins]

^ The Washington St example: https://goo.gl/maps/TdTjW9rpB4R2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CarterB]

IIRC, the Central New England (NYNH&H) Poughkeepsie bridge had gauntlet track.